Eat Lots of Fish? Your Melanoma Risk May Rise

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) — You’ve added fish to your weight-reduction plan to eat wholesome, however now a brand new examine delivers some dangerous information: Fish lovers could have a barely elevated threat of melanoma.

Researchers adopted over 490,000 older Americans and located the 20% with the best consumption had a couple of one-quarter increased threat of growing the illness over 15 years, versus the 20% with the bottom fish consumption.

Still, consultants confused the findings present solely a correlation, and can’t pin the blame squarely on seafood.

An oncology dietitian who was not concerned with the examine emphasised the “greater image.”

In basic, fish is a wholesome protein supply, usually wealthy in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, mentioned Amy Bragagnini, of Mercy Health Lacks Cancer Center, in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Because of its advantages — together with hyperlinks to raised coronary heart and mind well being — consultants typically suggest folks try for 2 4-ounce servings of fish per week, famous Bragagnini, who can also be a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Fish is usually a “nice various,” she mentioned, for folks seeking to restrict pink and processed meats — that are tied to increased dangers of sure cancers, together with colon and rectal cancers.

So why would fish be linked to melanoma, a illness most carefully associated to threat elements like sunburns and household historical past?

It’s not clear, mentioned lead researcher Eunyoung Cho. But one speculation is that it is not the fish, however contaminants — like mercury and PCBs — that may exist at comparatively excessive ranges in some fish.

Past analysis has linked mercury publicity to a better dangers of melanoma and different pores and skin cancers, famous Cho, an affiliate professor at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, in Providence, R.I.

However, she mentioned, the contaminant principle is simply that. “This is the primary examine to indicate this affiliation,” Cho mentioned. “We want extra analysis to copy these findings earlier than we will make any dietary suggestions.”

The findings, printed June 9 within the journal Cancer Causes and Control, are based mostly on 491,000 Americans aged 50 to 71 who had been adopted for 15 years. At the outset, they accomplished questionnaires on weight-reduction plan, train, and smoking and consuming habits.

Over the examine interval, simply over 5,000 contributors had been identified with malignant melanoma, whereas virtually 3,300 developed melanoma in situ — the place “pre-cancerous” melanoma cells are on the highest layer of pores and skin however haven’t penetrated the deeper layers.

Cho’s group discovered that individuals within the prime 20% for fish consumption had a 22% higher threat of malignant melanoma, and a 28% increased threat of melanoma in situ, versus contributors who ate the least fish. That prime group sometimes downed practically 43 grams of fish per day.

Those increased dangers held when the researchers accounted for different way of life habits, race, schooling stage and the place folks lived.

However, the examine lacked particulars on folks’s private solar habits, mentioned Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society. It’s not clear, he famous, whether or not fish lovers had been extra more likely to have a “seashore home” or in any other case spend time outdoor.

Dahut, who was not concerned within the examine, known as it “attention-grabbing,” and worthy of a deeper dive.

“But I would not inform folks to not eat fish due to melanoma threat,” he mentioned.

Dahut additionally pointed to a puzzling discovering: People who reported consuming extra non-fried fish or canned tuna had an elevated threat of malignant melanoma. But those that ate plenty of fried fish truly had a decreased threat.

Both Cho and Bragagnini agreed that discovering is difficult to clarify. It’s doable, Cho speculated, that the kind of fish issues; she mentioned future research may have a look at whether or not explicit fish varieties are tied to increased melanoma threat.

For now, Bragagnini beneficial specializing in total weight-reduction plan, together with getting loads of crops meals like greens, fruits, beans, nuts and fiber-rich grains. As for fish, she suggested baking or steaming it quite than deep-frying, which might deplete the “good” fat.

When it involves malignant melanoma, Dahut mentioned the first prevention techniques stay the identical: limiting publicity to ultraviolet rays — from the solar or tanning beds — and checking the pores and skin for brand new growths or adjustments to present moles.

More info

The American Cancer Society has recommendation on weight-reduction plan and way of life.

SOURCES: Eunyoung Cho, ScD, affiliate professor, dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.; Amy Bragagnini, MS, RD, oncology dietitian, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s Campus, Lacks Cancer Center, Grand Rapids, Mich., and spokesperson, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Chicago; William L. Dahut, MD, chief scientific officer, American Cancer Society, Atlanta; Cancer Causes and Control, June 9, 2022